A boy stared at the giant man while maintaining the pose of having thrown something.
By his feet was the package of a toy that had been thrown away. On it was written ‘Slime’.
“Mom said that people who hurt girls are the worst! Leave her alone!”
“This brat!”
The man tore off the toy slime from his face and threw it onto the ground by the boy’s feet. Now that the man’s anger was directed onto the boy, the boy’s face cramped.
“I-I’m not scared! I’m not going to lose to a villain like you!”
The giant man’s glare was overwhelming, but the boy courageously met his eyes.
Although the boy bent his back and quivered all over, he grit his teeth and endured the fear.
“You think you understand anything!?”
The boy’s courage was correct, but it was too reckless. He didn’t have the strength to stand against criminals.
And this man wasn’t calm enough to let even a child go.
“Don’t get in my way!”
As the target of the giant man changed he swung his pole against the boy.
Screams resounded from the customers as they distanced themselves from the man.
Frozen, the boy couldn’t move a single step, but he continued to courageously glare at the approaching weapon.
Upon witnessing that, the girl cried out as she jumped.
“N-No!!”
She jumped in between the boy and the giant man and turned herself into a shield for the boy.
The pole swung into the back of the girl.
“Ah, UUu!!”
“O-Onee-chan!? A-Are you okay!?”
As the girl’s face twisted in pain, the boy in her arms desperately called out to her.
Clumsily, she smiled and said she was fine.
No matter how high one’s resistance was, receiving a blow unaware will always result in greater damage.
She was focused on covering for the boy and was able to demonstrate her agility, but because of that she forgot about the pole.
“Uu… Just what are you people doing!?
This child is an Earthling like you!
Didn’t you hate me and my people!? So why are you attacking this kid too!?”
“S-Shut up! He’s wrong for standing up for you!
A little kid that knows nothing shouldn’t be going around acting however he pleases!
Anyone who allies themselves with Garesto is an enemy! It doesn’t matter if it’s a brat!”
“That’s just ridiculous…”
Half-disgusted-half-scared, the girl held the child even tighter in her arms.
She could tell that there wasn’t a hint of clarity left in the eyes of the criminals.
Until now their claims still seemed reasonable, but the moment they attacked the child, all of that vanished.
It would still have been fine if it were just this big man in front of her who was acting emotional, but even the other criminals didn’t have any problems with the man’s behavior.
“We’re going to make it clear here that Garesto isn’t needed!
We’re going to take back our world! I’m going to take back my future!”
“That’s right!”
“Do it!!”
It was curious whether the giant man could hear the excited and approving voices of his friends, but regardless, he dropped his pole and took his gun.
A dark smile appeared on his face; he would not hesitate to shoot a person.
Or perhaps he was simply not thinking.
“No matter how tough you are, I’m sure even this can kill you, right?”
“What!?”
The only thing left in the man was madness.
Just as he said, if one were to take a bullet with one’s bare body, it would not end with just a wound.
That was true for her. That was true for the boy in her arms.
“Wait, at least let this boy go!”
“Die!!”
“You’re in the way. Move!”
As the black barrel pointed at them, a cruel metallic sound resounded.
The girl’s face twisted in pain, but she at least managed to pushed the boy out of the way.
She felt like she heard another voice elsewhere, but she couldn’t be bothered right now.
The finger on the trigger moved, but the barrel did not change its direction.
That’s good, she thought.
Her body, unmoving, she closed her eyes.
As death’s knell resounded, she curled herself, but——–the bullet never came.
“…Huh?”
Fearfully, the girl opened her eyes, but when she looked up, what greeted her was that seemingly familiar back.
‘He’ pushed aside the giant man’s arms and deflected the gun toward the ceiling.
“—Damn it!
I’m always rushing, so why am I always just barely in time!!”
This boy, whom she had run into for the third time, yelled angrily about something as he sent a sharp punch from below to the jaw of the giant man and sent him flying.
“It’s bad for the heart! Seriously!”
“GAH!?”
The man’s head was shaken with a single blow— No. It was not something so petty.
That uppercut was so strong that it actually sent that giant man flying into the air toward the man giving that earlier speech.
As the bench broke under the weight, the man in suit was crushed under the giant man.
“Wha— GIAH!?
UGU, ah, damn it, get off me! Hey! Get this guy off me now!”
He was probably the leader here.
His friends ran in a panic to get the man off of him, then he glared at the 15 year old boy who appeared out of nowhere to interfere in their plans.
“What are you doing!? If you’re a Japanese like us, then you should fight too!”
“Shut up, you stupid maggots!!!”
“What…”
But they were silenced by the angry voice of the boy and an even more overpowering gaze that accompanied it.
He had no intention of listening to them. There was no need to talk.
All that was needed was for him drive ‘his common sense’ into them.
“A heap of trash that would commit violence with weapons or a girl protecting a child.
Do you need someone else to tell you which side needs to be protected!?”
——Shame on you!!
That was meant for everyone except the girl and the boy.